Spherical movement radiation meth



' J. KIEFFER July 25, 1939.

SPHERICAL MOVEMENT RADIATION METHOD AND APPARATUS Fil ed Sept. 10, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

JE/q N K /EFFER Aralis/ J. KIEFFER Jul 25, 1939.

SPHERICAL MOVEMENT RADIATION METHOD AND APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed Sept. 10, 1937 INVENTOR.

JUTN K/EFFER ATTORN b' 25, 1 A .1. KlEFl ER 7,115

SPHERICAL MOVEMENT RADIATION METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed Sept. 10, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 E24 EM I 30 l i 7 MIV'NIFJIWIII? 37 INVENTOR JEH/V K/EFFER ATTOR Patented July 25, 1939 UNITED STATES SPHERIICAL MOVEMENT RADIATION METH- OD AND APPARATUS Jean Kiefier, Norwich, Conn.

Application September 10, 1937, Serial No. 163,220

12 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of, and an apparatus for, radiation visualization, or treat- .ment, and, while here disclosed as being adapted for conventional X-ray practice, it will be understood that the principles of the invention may be applied to other types of radiation.

While the invention is disclosed as being directed to a method of, and an apparatus for, visualizing the interior points of the body through radiographic impressions, it is understood that the invention is also adapted for therapeutic treatment, the adaptation being simply provided for by utilizing the herein described method of moving the source of radiations withoutthe use, or

15 movement, of the conventional sensitive receiving mediumv and its associated structure.

The invention partakes of the desiderata of my prior patent, No, 1,954,321, and of mycopending applications, including my application filed May 19, 1937, Serial No. 143,445; and, therewith, it is among the general objects to provide means for the virtual focusing of rays.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an alternative method and apparatus from that shown in my prior patent whereby such virtual focusing may be accomplished.

A further object is to provide a simplified structure for accomplishing such virtual focusing of rays.

From a consideration of the following specification and drawings, it will be noted that further objects of the invention are to provide a method of, and an apparatus for, virtual ray focusing which avoids the necessity of a superstructure for guiding the tube movement, and further provides a machine in which guides for film, or plate, movement are unnecessary.

This invention is, therefore, concerned with a simplification of themethod and apparatus set forth in my prior patent and co-pending applicaions.

Numerous other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of one form of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of a machine built in accordance with the present invention; and

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the machine shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view of an operating disk for use in the present invention,

Figure 5 is a similar view of a guide disk or 55 templet, and

Work, a simultaneous and opposite movement in 1 three dimensions over proportional concentric spherical surfaces is provided for in the film, or plate holder, which movement thus causes a blurring of bodies other than in a predetermined plane which contains the axis of the system and is parallel to the surface of the film.

It will be understood that the blurring phenomenon, which renders sharp shadows of objects in the pivotal plane and minimizes obscuring by other objects, is a result of simultaneous and op,- posite movement of tube and plate while retaining the tube to object distance at a fixed ratio with the object to the film distance. In my former patent, these ratios were maintained although the actual distances varied. In the present invention, the movementof the tube and plate on a spherical surface in three dimensions avoids any practical variation of tubeto object distance and object to plate distance. 7

I am familiar with past suggestions that the tube might be moved arcuately, but such a method, or apparatus, therefor, would fail to give the focusing effect except in a rectilinear line in the plane of the arc of movement. By providing for sperical motion in three dimensions, a virtual focusing, symmetrical to any axis contained in the plane, may be achieved.

This device is adapted to the use of planigraphic movement along portions of spherical surfaces. The target and film move with spherical motions in three dimensions in such a way that the center of the target and a point of the surface in which the film lies move around a point on the visualized plane as a common center, that the film surface always remains parallel to the visualized plane, and that the center of the target and that point of the film surface are always opposite, and in a straight line with the point of the visualized plane used as a rotational center for the target motion. 7

Throughout the specification and in the claims the term spherical motion or movement has been utilized as has been the expression to movement on the surface of a sphere. By such terms and expressions, reference is made to motion of V motion) the tube and/or plate other than in a single plane, but yet confined to the surface of a sphere and such terminology is used to difierentiate from either circular or arcuate movement on the surface of the sphere. Circular motion which, while being motion on the surface of a sphere, is moparting from the plane of its origin' an'd" yet confined to the surface of a sphere." F

Prior art has suggested planar motion on surface of a sphere both in a horizontal plane (circular motion) and in a vertical plane jarcuate The present invention departs from priorteachings by providing fsphferical motion which may be further defined as a motion on the surface of a sphere in a curved 1ii1'e,,the curve of which is a twisted or gauche curve} also referred to as a curve of. double curvature. Spherical motion as here used, may also be defined as motion on the surface oflaspherenin volving a continual departure from 1 any given plane; Spiro-spherical motion as used: herein may be defined as such mdtion the projection-of 'radiographed; Hung at point l which'is the center ofa system of gimbals, isarod 4-fo rrning part of theparallelogram system of links of which 5, 6 and l arethe remainder. Near the upperpart of the rod 4 is'a' pivot 8 whose axis is per pendicular to both rods-4and 5; V H j l 5 -The upper part of the rod --4 terminates in another pivot having an axis 9; parallel to. the axis 8 and on which a rod' -10 rotates The red I ll engages apivot Il -0n top of-a tube supp rting structure |2,this structure being pivoted at 13 on an extension 5A of the rod 5, the distance between the axis l I and the axis 13 being equal-to that between 9 and 8, and the pivots 8, 9, H and I3 forming the angles of anotherparallelogram system. 'The'distances from l-l' to 9and13 to l8 are alsoequal, At the'lower' end'of the rod 4 is a *gimbal l4 which serves asa pivot-for the rod l at that point. The rod 6 has a pivot l5=at its'upperend r the distances from the pivot 2 to the'pivot Hand 1 'The gimbals '2 and ll'aretconnected .byxaishaft any motion other than simple rotary or rectilinear motion, imparted to the tube must of necessity provide motion de- IA, rotating in a sleeve 3A in the support 3, which keep their rotation coordinated and the relation of their centers to the support 3 and the point i con stant.

An extension 1A of the link 1 holds a plate carrier IS, a center 24 of which is on an axis parallel to the link 4 and passing through the target of the tube and the center of the pivot H. distance of the plate carrier I8 to the center of the gimbal' 14' remains cQnstant'duringmotion.

Alink'lS and a link 20, in conjunction with the lower part of the rod 4 and of the support 3 with gimbals 2, l4, 2| and 22, form another system of parallelogram links which remains, at all times,

at right angles to any plane that the paral-' lelogram system, composed of links 4, 5, 6 and E, may assume. The parallelogram link system formed by gimbals 2, l4, 2| and 22 and acting through'a rod 25 connected with the gimbal 22 and to the film carrier I8 will hold the latter, at all times, parallel to any initial position, given to it,'the"axial pjoint oftl'ie girnb'allfl being held stationary "by the""sfupp'ort,3 iii-regard to the pivotz. l .1

A motor and turntable system can impart,

The

through a linkl23" anda sliding gimbal 21', any 1 predetermined motion to the rod! and consequently to the entire system. The' motor and the support 3'; and the link 23 and the gimbal 21,;

or equivalent'means, can'be' po'sitionedanywhere in thelinkage system; shown except, of course, at the stationary pivot points 2 and 2 Land 1?.

Details ofth-e structure which may be utilized for imparting an'irregular; non-rotary or spiral motion tothe'link23 is disclosed in Figuresfil, 5," and 6 10f the drawings', ithe samehaving' been more fully set forth and claimed in my copendingaapplicatio'n, 143,445. In the drawings, Fig ure 4 is a fragmentary ,de'tail'view of the-rotary disk 3|) shown in Figures2 and 3. I 'The' disk .30 j,

is. provided with aperture 3| whichsrnay-receive a pin 32 carried by thellink 23 (see Fig. 6-) and with the'pin 32 engaging one of theapertures 3], simple rotary, motion will "be, imparted to the system and the tubev or .tube'andiplate will be moved in a rotary motioriinj a s'inglei plane. Such V motion forms no part of the'method of mypresent,

invention, although theapparatus is universal in beingd'esigned, to; permit such motion" It is to be noted that with a simple rotary-motion i'mparted to the tube, the distance of the tube to the point I (see Figures 1, 2 and-3) will be-con-, stant as will be the plate distance,.however,. the angle of the ray impingement with respect to the point, one will alsoremain constant and since or 'templet,*34, (see'FiguresZ, 3, and5). The

pin 32 is provided with an inner "sljidabl'gu'ide pin 35' whichas shown in FigureS'may'be moved to protrude from the pin 32 downward to engage in r a 'guidingicam or gro'ove,' 3fi; formed in theistationary templet 34. It will be obvious that when many X-ray p'racticesb'oth for theroptic and the plate 30 is rotated with the pin 32 in the slot 33 and with the pin 35 engaging the groove 36, the groove will modify the circular motion of the link 23 so as to produce many desired types of irregular or non-circular rotary motion. A specific and preferred type of non-circular motion is provided by the spiral formation of the groove shown in Figure 5. With this spiral the concentration of rays passing through the surface of a body towards a given point I will be distributed over the surface so as'to insure a maximum ray impingement of the point I with minimum ray impingement at any point on the surface of the body. The motion thus produced may be defined as spiro spherical motion, as previously defined.

Itwill be further noted that since the linkage system is rigid that the tube will at all times be at a fixed distance from the point I as will be the center of the plate. This is accomplished by the present system in which the tube and plate travel is on the surface of a sphere, the center of which is the point I and in so moving the tube and plate depart from the plane of their starting point. With the spiral path shown, the tube will describe a spiral on the surface of the sphere. In Figures 1, 2- and 3, the position of parts shows the tube and plate lying in a common axis through the sphere, any movement from this position would involve a movement out of the plane of this position, and any irregular movement imparted to the link 23 will produce a spherical curve.

By further reference to Figure 6, it will be seen that the templet 34 is secured stationally while the disk 30 is adapted to be rotated by shaft 31 passing through templet 34 and driven by a motor as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

It is evident that, with such a system, any motion given to any part of it, relative to the pivot point 2, will carry the target of tube and the point 24 on the film surface through motion in three dimensions over spherical surfaces having their common center at I; and that the tube, with its attending limiting cone, or diaphragm, will always remain pointed toward point I. If the tube is energized during such motion, a planigraphic representation of the plane, passing through point I and parallel to the film surface, will result. A counterbalance 26 is of such weight and can be so adjusted that in a position 26A, closer to the gimbal 16 than that shown, it will exactly counterbalance the system so that the tube and film can be moved Without much effort and in a smooth manner. With this in the full line position, it may act as a pendulum which can be used to give the system a rhythmic motion. The system may be so looked that motion in one plane only may be given to it, in which case, the resulting motion will be along circular arcs.

It is to be understood that, when the words tube and target are used, they are to be construed so as to mean not only the conventionl X-ray tube with its target, but also any device which can furnish suitable radiations. The word tube in this case is to mean any suitable supporting, holding, or generating means, and the word target is to mean the center of emission of the radiation.

It is also to be understood that a simplified device, consisting only of parts IA, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5A, 6, 8, 9, H], H, l2, l3, l5, I1, 23, 26 and 21, will effect the focusing of the radiations in a small field in a body as for therapeutic use, the size of this field being controlled by the size of the opening through which the'radiations leave theisupport ing, holding or generating structure [2, and by the distance of this aperture from the center of radiation IZA. This focusingeffect will be' obtained because the link system will keep the beam of radiation oriented'at all times towardpoint I, no matter how the structure may be displaced. The point I will then become the center of the abovementioned field. I

With regard to d-e'centering and plane selection, both of which are applicable to the present invention, reference may be hadto my co -pending application SerialNumber 163,219 filed'herewith. For instance, by rotating the plate holder !8, with respect to TA, various planes may be selected. 7

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the pr-esentinvention provides a novel'method, and means, for carrying out the objects of the present invention. Obviously numerous changes and modifications, and the full use of equivalents, may be resorted to without departure from the spirit, or scope, of the invention.

Having set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is: V

1. A method of subjecting a given point in a body to a concentration of X-rays which includes the step of subjecting the body to X-rays emanating from a moving source of ray emanation which is moving with non-planar spherical motion.

2. A method of subjecting a given point in a body to a concentration of X-rays which includes the step of subjecting the body to X-rays emanating from a moving source of ray emanation which is moving with non-planar spherical motion, the center of spherical curvature of which is the point in the body at which the total ray impingement is to be concentrated.

3. A method of subjecting a given point in a body to a cencentration of X-rays which includes the step of subjecting the body to X-rays emanating from a moving source of ray emanation which is moving with spire-spherical motion.

4. A method of taking radiographic pictures which includes the step of simultaneously moving a source of ray emanation and a receiving medium. on opposite sides of the body to be radiographed with non-planar spherical motion.

5. A method of taking radiographic pictures which includes the step of simultaneously moving a source of ray emanation and a receiving medium on opposite sides of the body to be radiographed with spiro-spherical motion.

6. A method of taking radiographicpictures which includes the step of simultaneously moving a source of ray emanation and a receiving medium on opposite sides of the body to be radiographed with motion in a spiral path on the surface of a sphere the center of which is approximately at the point in a body of which the radiographic picture is desired.

'7. A method of radiographic visualization of a predetermined internal portion of a body which includes the step of subjecting the body to ray emanations from a source of radiations while the source is moving with spiral motion on the surface of a sphere the center of which is approximately the center of the predetermined internal portion of the body to be visualized and simultaneously moving on the opposite side of the body a receiving medium which is moved with similar motion 180 degrees out of phase with the motion of the tube.

8. A radiological apparatus comprising a structureadap e t upp rt a s c Qfi y m nation for movement in all directions over the surface of a sphere and means for imparting nonplanar spherical motion to said support.

9 A radiological apparatus comprising a structure 'adapted to support a source'of ray emanation for movement in all-directions. over the surface of a sphere andmeans for imparting spirospherical motion to said support.

10. A radiological apparatus comprising a structure adapted to support a source of ray emanation on one side of a body and to support a receiving, medium on the opposite side of the body and to permit movement of said source of 15 emanation and said receiving medium in all directions over the surface of a sphere and means for impartin non-planar spherical motion to said source of ray emanation and to said receivingmedium. 7

'11.;A :radiolo'gical' apparatus comprising a structure adopted to support a source of ray emanation on one side of a body and to support a receiving mediumonithe opposite side of the body and to permit movement of said source of emanation and said receiving medium in all directions overthe surface of a sphere andmeans for imparting spire-spherical motion to said source of ray emanation and to said receiving medium;

12. In a radiologicalapparatus, atube support, a plate support, a pivoted connecting device between said support adoptedto move said supports in all directions over the surface of a sphere and means for imparting spiral motion to said support whereby said tube and plate will be simultaneously moved with spiro-spherical motion 180 out of phase.

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